80
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Film ThreatTim MerrillFilm ThreatTim MerrillMusic fans of every stripe should kill to see this film, one of the very best music documentaries in recent years.
- 90VarietyDavid RooneyVarietyDavid RooneyDowd's graciousness and enthusiasm, and the enormous respect afforded him by industryites on record here, make this a thorough and satisfying acknowledgement of one man's unique contribution to popular music.
- 90Village VoiceLaura SinagraVillage VoiceLaura SinagraMoormann's film transcends A&E hagiography, and Dowd's spry egoism and science-hipster joie de vivre provide piquant icing. Recalling trends, technical advances, artists, and landmark sessions (one where he suggests the rhythm for "Sunshine of Your Love"), Dowd conjures the excitement that helped coax so many iconic performances.
- 90L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn DumpertL.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn DumpertIt makes a convincing argument that Dowd's personal history is a kind of history of the 20th century itself, encompassing the era's art, science, commerce and politics.
- 90Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranIf there is one moment in The Language of Music that will thrill old rock fans, it's watching Dowd, his fluid hands moving with a surgeon's grace, remix for the film's benefit the 24-track sub-master of "Layla."
- 88Miami HeraldMiami HeraldThe Language of Music hews strictly to its title, however. There isn't anything about Dowd's life outside music except for details of his work as a nuclear physicist at Columbia University, where he was a key part of the Manhattan Project research team that developed the atomic bomb during World War II.
- 80The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe documentary was shot on film, and Moormann's snappy editing and subtly moving camera match the energy of the jump-blues and roots-rock that Dowd loved.
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe man who emerges is a likable, unpretentious musical enthusiast and roll-up-your-sleeves problem-solver who apparently led a charmed life.
- 80Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonShows firsthand the appreciation and warmth from the musicians who worked with him.
- The correlation between music and math, if not explicit, is seldom documented with as much panache as Tom Dowd & the Language of Music.